The first archaeobotanical evidence of Medicago sativa L. in China: hay fodder for livestock (original) (raw)
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Archaeological Research in Asia, 2020
Within the Dongbei region, Jilin has been left mostly unknown to international archaeological communities, compared to Liaoning and eastern Inner Mongolia. The Houtaomuga site is a good case study that can fill this void, documenting a long-term cultural sequence from the Early Holocene to historical periods. With a discovery of the earliest known pottery in the Dongbei region, Houtaomuga can offer insight into the Early Holocene adaptation. In order to complement ongoing discussion on Early Holocene subsistence, we present our preliminary data on plant resources in early phases of Houtaomuga, including Phase I (12,900–11,000 cal. BP) and Phase II (8,000–7,000 cal. BP). Our current analysis suggests use of upland and wetland plant resources in early phases at Houtaomuga. One grain of broomcorn millet was found in a ditch where encrustation on pottery was dated to 7,675–7,567 cal. BP (MTC-17588). We cannot substantiate a presence of millet with such a small quantity without a direct AMS date.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2018
The two cultivated species of buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum (common buckwheat) and F. tataricum (Tartary buckwheat) are Chinese domesticates whose origins are usually thought to lie in upland southwestern China, outside the major centres of agricultural origins associated with rice and millet. Synthesis of the macro-and microfossil evidence for buckwheat cultivation in China found just 26 records across all time periods, of which the majority were pollen finds. There are few or no identifying criteria distinguishing F. esculentum and F. tataricum for any sample type. The earliest plausibly agricultural Fagopyrum occurs in northern China from the mid 6th millennium cal bp. The archaeobotanical record requires reconciliation with biogeographic and genetic inferences of a southwestern Chinese origin for buckwheat. Scrutiny of the genetic data indicates limitations related to sampling, molecular markers and analytical approaches. Common buckwheat may have been domesticated at the range margins of its wild progenitor before its cultivation expanded in the north, mediated by changing ranges of wild species during the Holocene and/or by cultural exchange or movement of early agriculturalists between southwest China, the Chengdu Plain and the southern Loess Plateau. Buckwheat probably became a pan-Eurasian crop by the 3rd millennium cal bp, with the pattern of finds suggesting a route of westward expansion via the southern Himalaya to the Caucasus and Europe.
Plant exploitation of the first farmers in Northwest China: Microbotanical evidence from Dadiwan
North China is regarded as a center of domestication for broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica ssp. italica). The Dadiwan site in the Wei River valley has revealed the earliest evidence of domesticated broomcorn millet in the region, dating to 7,800-7,300 cal BP. Previous research indicates that the site inhabitants practiced low-intensity millet farming, but archaeobotanical records of other plant remains are poor due to the lack of systematic flotation on site. This study aims to reconstruct the dietary spectrum of Dadiwan inhabitants by examining the starch granules preserved in pottery residues. The starch granules are identifiable as broomcorn and foxtail millets, Job’s tears (Coix Lacryma-jobi), Triticeae, beans (Phaseoleae), acorns (Quercus sp.), lily (Lilium .),ginger (Zingiber sp.), lotus root (Nelumbo nucifera), and yam. Notably, the finding of ginger represents the world’s earliest known use of this food spice. Our results suggest that early farmers in Northwest China utilized a broad range of wild and domesticated plants, including cereals, nuts, legumes, and underground storage organs. The study supports the scenario that farming communities were first established in resource-rich environments.